US is withdrawing all 1,000 troops from Syria: WSJ report

The report says US officials expect troops to withdraw from remaining positions within two months.

The United States is preparing to pull back the nearly 1,000 troops from its military that remain in Syria, the Wall Street Journal reported, citing three US officials.

Al Jazeera was not immediately able to independently verify the report on Wednesday.

Recommended Stories

• list 1 of 3Ramadan begins in Palestine, Gulf; Egypt, Syria, more Muslim states to come
• list 2 of 3Syrian army takes over al-Shaddadi base after US withdrawal
• list 3 of 3Exodus of ISIL-linked detainees from Syria camp sparks security concerns

Last week, the US military confirmed it was withdrawing from the al-Tanf base, located in southern Syria near borders with Iraq and Jordan.

The base served as a ‌key hub for operations for the global coalition against ISIL (ISIS), which at the time controlled large areas of Syria and Iraq until sustaining critical losses in 2017.

US Central Command (CENTCOM) said last week’s “orderly departure” was “part of a deliberate and conditions-based transition”.

The Wall Street Journal, meanwhile, indicated that the broader withdrawal of US troops in Syria would unfold over the next two months. The administration of President Donald Trump has been weighing a full withdrawal since at least January.

According to the officials cited in the Wall Street Journal, the decision to withdraw troops from Syria is not connected to the current buildup of US naval and air forces elsewhere in the Middle East, as tensions flare with Iran.

In recent weeks, the Trump administration has threatened to take military action against Iran in response to its crackdown on antigovernment protesters and frustrations with ongoing nuclear negotiations.

As part of those threats, the US has bolstered its military presence in the region near Iran. A second aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford, is currently heading to the area.

US-brokered agreement

Instead, the US officials in the Wall Street Journal report said the withdrawal follows an agreement aimed at reshaping Syria’s security structure and consolidating state authority after years of divided control.

The deal provides for the integration of the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces (SDF) — Washington’s primary partner in the fight against ISIL — into the Syrian army.

US officials have framed the agreement as a significant step towards national unity and reconciliation after years of fragmented leadership in Syria.

The arrangement came after a renewed push by Syrian government forces, under interim President Ahmed al-Sharaa, to reassert control over areas that had remained outside Damascus’s authority, particularly in the country’s northeast, where the SDF has a foothold.

Government troops subsequently engaged in deadly clashes with the SDF and seized large stretches of Kurdish-held territory, heightening concerns of a wider confrontation.

The US-backed agreement, reached on January 29, created a fragile ceasefire and paved the way for negotiations leading to the integration of the two forces.